US expresses regret on failure to get consensus in NPT Treaty

WASHINGTON, US: The US expressed deep regret that states party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) failed to reach a consensus on a final document at the conclusion of the 2026 Review Conference. It specifically criticises the "inability of some NPT States Parties to take Iran's threat to global nonproliferation seriously," Al Jazeera reported.

Delegates at the international conference on nuclear disarmament failed to adopt a final document amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program.

The US State Department knitted its brows as "Iran's continued noncompliance with its NPT-required safeguards agreement with the IAEA" and its "escalating nuclear activities for which there is no credible civilian justification," as per Al Jazeera.

Washington emphasised that for the NPT Review Conference to uphold its founding mandate, "States Parties cannot turn a blind eye to Iran's noncompliance". It added that violators cannot be allowed to "undermine the enforcement and accountability mechanisms at the core of the NPT".

The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons opened at UN headquarters in New York on April 27.

Conference President Do Hung Viet said at Friday's meeting that no consensus was reached.

Ambassador Viet hailed the "sincere and meaningful engagement" of the conference delegates, but admitted his disappointment at their inability to find consensus and seize the opportunity to make the world a safer place, as per UN News.

This is the third consecutive time that the NPT review conference, which is held every five years in principle, has failed to adopt a final document. It has now been sixteen years since the commitments made at the 1970 Treaty adoption have been reaffirmed or strengthened at a Review Conference, and the next one won't take place until 2031.

"The current international environment, which is marked by deep tensions and an elevated risk posed by nuclear weapons, demands very urgent action," warned Ambassador Viet.

"A substantive outcome would have strengthened the Treaty and advanced its objectives," he said, "but in the absence of such an outcome, I am concerned for the future health of the Treaty."

At the press conference, Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN disarmament chief, said that the states parties to the Treaty need to take the three consecutive failures very seriously if they want to preserve the regime.

"Non-proliferation and disarmament are two sides of the same coin," she said in an appeal to nuclear-weapon States. "It is simply wrong for them to assume that non-proliferation obligations will be upheld without their own commitment to, and implementation of, disarmament obligations."

Following the collapse of the negotiations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a statement of disappointment, warning that the treaty's framework is eroding amid urgent global security challenges.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US stands firmly with the legitimate Government of Lebanon.

The Secretary of State, in its statement, said, "The United States condemns in the strongest terms Hizballah's reckless call to overthrow Lebanon's democratically elected government. Hizballah has ignored repeated calls from the legitimate Government of Lebanon to cease its attacks and respect a ceasefire. Instead, it has continued firing on Israeli positions and moving fighters and weapons into southern Lebanon. This is a deliberate campaign to destabilize the country and maintain its power at the expense of the future of the Lebanese people."

"The Government of Lebanon is working to deliver recovery, reconstruction, international assistance, and a stable future for its citizens with the full support of the United States. Hizballah, by contrast, is actively trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos and destruction," it added.

The office said that the era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end.

"The United States stands firmly with the legitimate Government of Lebanon as it works to restore its authority and build a better future for all its people. Hizballah's threats of violence and overthrow will not be allowed to succeed. The era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end," it added.